"Rented Silence" Deepens Understanding, Awareness of Human Trafficking

TAMPA, FL--(Marketwire - Jun 29, 2012) - Lucia Mann paints a portrait of modern-day slavery in her new novel, "Rented Silence," sales of which benefit her human trafficking hotline, www.mdsrc.org, the Modern-Day Slavery Reporting Centre.

"Modern-day slavery is an even bigger problem than it was during the years of legalized slave trade from Africa to the Americas," says Mann, a former journalist and the daughter of a woman who was held as a sex slave in South Africa in the 1940s. Her fact-based novel is based on her and her mother's lives.

"According to the United Nations, there are more than 27 million slaves worldwide, which is more than twice the number of those who were enslaved over the 400 years that transatlantic slavers trafficked humans to work in the Americas," Mann says.

Awareness of modern slavery continues to grow, but many people do not realize the practice may be occurring in their own communities, she says. The problem has proliferated with advent of the internet and digital communications, which make it easier for traffickers to communicate -- and target prey.

• Approximately 75 to 80 percent of human trafficking is for sex.
• Researchers note that sex trafficking plays a major role in the spread of HIV.
• There are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history.
• About 13 million children around the world are victims of human trafficking.
• Human trafficking not only involves sex and labor, people are also trafficked for organ harvesting.

A human trafficker can earn 20 times the amount paid for a girl, which can be worth a quarter million dollars, Mann says.

Her story, she adds, is one of survival and hope -- a message she hopes other victims will hear.

"Without wishing to give anything away let me simply say what an awesome read this book is," writes Amazon reviewer Mr. Beardie. "The fact that it is based on true events makes it the more remarkable."

About Lucia Mann

Lucia Mann was born in British colonial South Africa in the wake of World War II and lives in West Covina, Calif., and British Columbia, Canada. She retired from freelance journalism in 1998 and is the founder of the Modern Day Slavery Reporting Centre, a hotline for victims and concerned citizens. To report suspected trafficking, visit the site or call (800) 610-7035, ext. 227.